Cooking Alcohol Burn-off Calculator
Calculate the percentage of alcohol remaining in your dish based on cooking method and time.
Important for dietary and health considerations.
Alcohol Remaining
Alcohol does not fully evaporate during cooking. A common myth is that all alcohol “cooks off” — research from the USDA shows this is not true.
Approximate alcohol retention by cooking method:
- Added at end, no heat (flambe flame out): ~75% remains
- Stirred into hot liquid, removed from heat: ~85% remains
- Flambe (ignited): ~75% remains
- Baked/simmered, 15 minutes: ~40% remains
- Baked/simmered, 30 minutes: ~35% remains
- Baked/simmered, 1 hour: ~25% remains
- Baked/simmered, 1.5 hours: ~20% remains
- Baked/simmered, 2 hours: ~10% remains
- Baked/simmered, 2.5+ hours: ~5% remains
Why this matters:
- People avoiding alcohol for health, religious, or recovery reasons
- Feeding children or pregnant women
- Medications that interact with alcohol